1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for use in promoting healthy breathing while preventing snoring, teeth grinding, and light forms of sleep apnea. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus worn in the mouth of a user to normalize breathing, prevent nocturnal teeth grinding
2. Description of the Background Art
Shortness of breath, heart attacks, cancer, strokes, poor sleep, sex drive, speech problems, anxiety, seizures, anger & all disease gets better or worse by how well people breathe; the quality of respiration & oxygen usage. Many people snore while sleeping. Snoring is caused by vibration of the uvula or the soft palate in the interior of the mouth when a person breathes through his/her mouth while sleeping. The act of snoring results in an irritating sound capable of disturbing sleep patterns of many, including the person snoring. In addition to the irritating snoring sound, many consider mouth breathing to be unhealthy as it contributes to dry mouth syndrome, as well as contributing to the development of gum disease.
In addition, many people are afflicted with sleep apnea. There are three types of apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed; of the three, obstructive is the most common. Despite the difference in the root cause of each type, in all three, people with untreated sleep apnea stop breathing repeatedly during their sleep, sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is caused by a blockage of the airway, usually when the soft tissue in the rear of the throat collapses and closes during sleep. With each apnea event, the brain briefly arouses people with sleep apnea in order for them to resume breathing, but consequently sleep is extremely fragmented and of poor quality.
Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.
A further abnormality experienced by many during sleep relates to gritting or grinding of one's teeth, particularly during times of stress. This disorder, refereed to as bruxism, affects numerous people at one time or another. Constant gritting of the teeth can, over time, result in the wearing away of the enamel and misshapen teeth. In severe cases, grinding of the teeth can result in loose or fractured teeth.
As a result there exists a need for a mouthpiece apparatus designed to normalize breathing patterns while also being useful in the prevention and treatment of snoring, light forms of sleep apnea, and gritting of the teeth.